In the past, below-the-elbow amputees have had very few realistic choices available to them for assisting them in performing heavy duty tasks. Although so-called "bionic" prosthetics are available, drawbacks of these devices are numerous and include cost of the limb, which can easily run into the tens of thousands of dollars, cost of batteries, weight of the device, its durability, and the necessity to keep it internally clean and dry. As a result, these "bionic" devices have not been widely accepted by amputees, and prosthetic devices which utilize body motions to perform selected tasks are generally preferred. However, the pulleys, traction devices, and complexities of these type devices also have limitations with respect to cost, comfort, and durability. As a result, prosthetics tailored to a specific purpose appear to be best suited for an active amputee.
Of the prosthetic device of this last class, perhaps the closest to applicants' device is U.S. Pat. No. 1,711,447, issued on Apr. 30, 1929, to Colanduoni, which discloses a forearm prosthetic device having an axially inserted member with opposed leaf springs adapted to grip a ball mounted on a steering wheel of a vehicle or to a gear shifting rod. No provision is made in this prosthetic device to grip a tubular object. Another below-the-elbow device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,213,222, issued on Jan. 23, 1917, to McKay, which discloses a prosthetic mount having an axial, splined mounting recess provided with a catch and a plurality of fittings, each with a specific purpose and each having a like, splined mount for mounting in the recess. One of the fittings disclosed in this patent (FIGS. 6 and 7) shows a spring-loaded clamp-like fitting disposed for holding a handle such as that found on a rake or shovel. However, the angle of the splined mount makes this fitting unsuitable for holding a chainsaw bar or other horizontal tubular member, Additionally, this fitting does not appear to possess the durability or structural rigidity necessary to perform heavy lifting.
In accordance with the foregoing, it is the object of this invention to provide a prosthetic device for a below-the-elbow amputee which is adapted to allow the amputee to easily work with horizontal tubular members such as the bar found on a chainsaw.